Come Along and Join the Fun

Come Along and Join the Fun

Come Along and Join the Fun

Come Along and Join the Fun

What We Do at the Dip

About the Macmillan White Christmas Dip

In the simplest terms, we charge into the sea on Christmas Day at 10:30am, participants joining in the fun are required to arrive before 10:00am ideally around 9:45am to allow time for parking, registration & safety announcements.

The White Christmas Dip is an annual charity fancy dress Christmas morning dip held on the beach next to Boscombe Pier in Bournemouth organised by Tom Baker, John White and Macmillan Caring Locally. Every year the dip begins on the beach, just to the right of Boscombe Pier with hundreds of people donning their wackiest fancy dress lining the shoreline before the big countdown which will see all of them charging into the sea! Why not do something different this Christmas & fill the void before lunch preparation begins by charging into the sea in aid of a local charity, supporting our local area! Our Christmas morning swim is a fantastic excuse for a family outing and healthy sea air on Christmas Day.

Not only is it great fun for the swimmers and thousands of spectators, we also raise much needed funds for Macmillan Caring Locally supporting the Macmillan Unit at Christchurch hospital, which is a Specialist Palliative Care Unit for patients in the local community.

We guarantee once you've taken part once you'll be talking about it for weeks & will be keen to sign up for next year! Don't believe us? Give it a go!

Our Christmas Dip is open to all ages!

All we ask is participants give a minimum donation of £5.00 and would encourage swimmers to seek sponsorship from friends, family, employers and businesses by using Just-Giving, where monies get paid directly to the charity. Alternatively we can provide you with sponsorship forms should you want one, just drop an email to Tom@whitechristmasdip.co.uk

We are proud to say that every single penny raised goes to Macmillan Caring Locally (and have exceeded £100,000 this year!), which is a very deserving organisation which gives vital care to those affected by cancer from the Macmillan unit at Christchurch hospital. This service is made available around the clock 365 days a year.

The Story Behind The Macmillan White Christmas Dip

The White Christmas Dip started in 2008 and began on Christmas day morning when John White, who had recently been diagnosed with cancer, was visiting some of his family, who all decided to join the Spartans in their Annual Christmas morning swim. John White, along with son, also named John White and nephews Tommy Baker, Harry Baker, Berni Mendieta and Joe Hardwick found some old fancy dress outfits and decided to partake in fancy dress.

They arrived at Boscombe Pier ready to charge into the sea, to find there was nobody around. After waiting for 30 minutes they took to the cold waters joined by Andy Corbett who was cycling along the promenade, for their very own Christmas day swim. After the success of the first Christmas dip, Tommy decided, with his family that taking to the sea was a fitting way to see the whole family on Christmas day, and a good idea to get some fresh air on the family day, that was usually spent indoors.

In 2009 they took to the sea on Christmas morning again with more of the family and friends, but saw an opportunity to raise money for charity, whilst taking part in an activity that brought the whole family together on Christmas Day.

The White Christmas Dip had been born and continues to grow year on year. At 10:30am on Christmas morning 2012 over 120 bathers took to the water with many more spectators including family, friends and the general public on hand to cheers them on during their Christmas morning swim.

2013 saw in excess of 350 "dippers" braved the hailstorm and joined in the fun, not only was it great fun but also helped raise £25,000 for Macmillan Caring Locally, not only was the beach lined with participants, but the promenade also filled up quickly with around 3000 spectators.

In 2014 we saw a big increase in the amount of dippers that started their Christmas Day differently by charging into the sea in fancy dress. Over 600 people began the day by charging into the sea in the sun and the crowds followed, with Boscombe Pier & the promenade filled with 6000 spectators!

This year is set to be the biggest yet, the big question is are you ready to start your Christmas day in style? Sign up today!

With this years dip quickly approaching, sponsors finalised, we are set to go! We are expecting over 750 participants to join us for this years festive dip, the question is, are you brave enough to join us...